


The Efficacy of Slamming Cabinets

by DidelphisVirginiana



Series: Prompts [1]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Happy Ending, Jealous Fox Mulder, Jealousy, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-07-23 23:47:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16169237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DidelphisVirginiana/pseuds/DidelphisVirginiana
Summary: Prompt: Jealous Mulder is my jamMulder's jealousy gets the best of him down in the basement office.





	1. The Blow Up

Mulder was sorting through the file cabinet as Scully sat on her usual side of the desk, filling out her analysis of their most recent case. It had turned out to be fairly boring, but Mulder still had to rifle through what had now felt like thousands of files to find it in order to fill it out and get it turned in to Skinner. He let out an exaggerated sigh, getting frustrated now at the more menial parts of the job like this. However, to say that was the only thing he was frustrated about was a lie.

Scully had recently started going out after work with a detective who had helped them on an earlier case in D.C. Mulder wouldn’t have even bothered to learn his name, but Scully always brought him up in casual conversation. _Hank this, Hank that,_ he thought to himself, disgusted just by his name. From what he gathered, most of their dates had just consisted of going out to bars. Hank didn’t treat her right or take her out to exceptionally nice places from what he understood, not like he would. Not like she deserved.

If he could. 

He had so many chances, but it always seemed that someone got to her first. He knew he didn’t own her, they were just work partners, but his affection for her went beyond a platonic level after so many years spent together. He just couldn’t make that first jump. And now she was with someone else, again. He would be lying if he didn’t say he was envious.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a little short notice, but I can definitely meet you there,” Scully said in a playful tone.

He looked back to see that she was on the phone, and he couldn’t help but suck his lips in. He already knew who it was.

She laughed after hearing the voice on the other end of the receiver, “You’re too sweet, really,” she was smiling, genuinely, and Mulder felt his face grow hot before she continued, “You’re very spontaneous, you know that?” She was licking her lips now.

He slammed the file cabinet shut with a loud bang, glaring at her. He couldn’t help it now. He was huffing as he sat down at the desk, not taking his eyes off of her. But she didn’t even notice he was in the room, apparently. She was totally sucked into the phone conversation she was having with this new scumbag.

“Okay, I’ll see you tonight, Hank. Bye.” She was grinning as she snapped her phone shut. She looked up and her eyes went wide with concern, her expression changing from playful to bewildered as she leaned back a little defensively.

“What’s wrong with you, Mulder? You look especially pissed this afternoon,” her voice was calm and steady.

“I just don’t really think it adds to productivity when an agent makes date plans while on the clock, _especially_ when we’re on a tight schedule here, Scully.” His voice came out dripping with venom. He didn’t give a shit about the work, really. He was just angry that he had to bear witness to her making date plans with someone else.

Scully scoffed in disbelief, staring him down now, “Wow…I really can’t believe you, Fox Mulder. I never thought this day would come.” She was smirking now, which made his whole body go ablaze.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Scully.” He stiffened, crossing his arms across his chest.

She was staring him down now, her eyes scanning his face and his whole body. She was reading his body language and he was like an open book right now. He wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to her. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he did.

“You’re jealous. You’re upset because I’m seeing someone and am doing something besides devoting my entire life to you and the X-Files.” She crossed her arms and leaned back triumphantly, mirroring his position. She nailed him just like that, and it hurt. 

His face turned into a sneer, “I just don’t like the sound of this guy-“

“Of course you don’t. On the rare occasion I find a man I like, you act like a kicked puppy dog. I’m just not understanding where it comes from, Mulder!” She was raising her voice now, “Being around someone who’s broody and aloof all of the time gets tiring, have you ever thought of that?”

He bit his tongue for a second before popping off at the mouth, “Okay, fine, I’m jealous! Is that what you wanted to hear? Have I cleared up any confusion?! After everything we’ve been through, years of being partners, can you blame me? I don’t even know where to start with you! And these scummy men get to see a side of you I’ll never be able to! You have a goddamn life and I don’t! I just think it makes the whole partnership a little uneven!” He grunted in frustration, grabbing a paper clip and beginning to untwist it, trying to focus on something else while avoiding her eyes which were focused on the top of his hanging head.

His self-deprecation always bugged her, and he knew that. But he didn’t care. A thick silence settled around the entire office. He didn’t dare look up at her, make eye contact with her, hell, even go near her. He merely got up and started looking through the cabinets again, feigning a sense of professional normalcy after exploding at his partner and best friend. He forgot what the name of the case even was now, but he was slumped over the cabinets, sucking on his bottom lip. She was right, he was acting like a child. He heard a sigh come from behind him. Then some rustling.

“Hi, Hank, it’s Dana. I’m sorry, but a case just came up and I’m going to be out of town tonight. Can we do a rain check?” Her voice was smooth, calm, and collected. Mulder had no idea how she managed to cool herself off like that so quickly.

“Uh huh, I’m sorry again, but you know how it is. Comes with the job.”

He got the courage to slowly turn around and look back at her. Her face was totally blank, there was no sign of any emotion or feeling in a single one of her features. He stared at her, taking a deep breath. 

She finished the conversation with a curt goodbye and hung up the phone, looking up at him with an arched eyebrow, but she said nothing.

“Well now you’re just making me feel worse, because now you’ve cancelled plans and lied to this guy just because of me.” He leaned back against the file cabinet, looking down at the ground. He was being pretty melodramatic now, he admitted to himself. He did feel bad that he sort of guilted her into cancelling, but a small part of him also felt good that he saved her from what he believed was going to be just another boring night at a bar.

She sighed, rubbing her face, “Jesus, Mulder, for a trained federal agent you are really susceptible to letting your jealousy get in the way of your brain function,” she paused, “If you think all the guys I go out with are really, truly that bad, then you have one chance. One.” She held up a single finger to exaggerate her statement, “To show me a good time.” She let out a long breath, looking back at him.

“No, no, Scully. I’m just…I’m just being a dick and making it all about me. You’ve said this before. But that doesn’t mean we have to force ourselves to go out on a date.” He was huffing again, sitting back down in his chair. He was acting like a real child now. He just got offered what seemed to be the chance of a lifetime, but he was denying himself of it because he felt he robbed his partner of the real date she had planned. Well, he didn’t think it was real, but the fact still remained.

“Look, Mulder, there’s nothing serious going on between Hank and I. We just go out for drinks and chat. That’s it, really. I wouldn’t hide anything serious from you.”

He was full on pouting now, “You and I barely do that, though.”

She shook her head, clearly frustrated, “I just offered you the chance!” She held out her hands, pleading with him to act with a bit of rationality.

He sat down and went back to fiddling with his paperclip before speaking, “I’m sorry, I just…I guess I get possessive when I have no right to.”

Scully rolled her head onto her shoulder with a sigh, “You’ve made me feel the same way before, so I guess I can’t blame you. I just don’t think slamming cabinets and yelling is going to fix any of this.” She rubbed her lips together. He watched intently. He noticed she was wearing that particular shade of red he always liked.

Then his eyes began focusing on her face. Her perfect and pale features. He wanted that to be his, and he had the choice of either denying himself that or taking advantage of what might be the only chance he’ll ever get. He didn’t want her with any other man, just him. He knew it sounded creepy and kind of childish, but he just couldn’t help himself. He pulled her away from the one date she had years ago, he threw a fit when she came back from the Jerse case. There was a pattern there that made his feelings for her obvious. At this point, though, he just didn’t know how to communicate said feelings without endangering everything they’ve worked for or just being a plain asshole. 

“You still haven’t made a decision on my offer.” Scully stated simply, grabbing a pen and writing a few notes down on the case they had been ignoring.

Mulder sighed in defeat, brushing his hair back with one hand. He didn’t like being put on the spot, but this felt like it was going to be his only chance, “Friday after work? We’ll go to that new mediterranean place. I’ll make the reservations tonight, if that works for you.” His voice was meek, barely above a whisper. He would be lying if he said he didn’t fantasize about asking her out every time a new place opened up. It always seemed like a good excuse for a proper date between the two of them.

She grinned at him, reaching over to hold his hand softly, “See, now that wasn’t so hard, was it? Just promise me you won’t throw these kind of tantrums in the future to get my attention.” He voice was soothing and calm.

He smiled shyly back at her. He didn’t see any tantrums in the future. Fuck every man before him, he was going to wow her on Friday. His jealousy slowly slipped out of his brain and he held onto her hand tightly. Fox Mulder was going to show Dana Katherine Scully what a real date was. He was finally going to make her his.


	2. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scully's boldness about the date had faded. She's really, actually going on a date with Mulder.

She was examining herself in the mirror, twisting and turning her hips to get a better view of each angle of her body. She had washed and blow-dried her hair, letting her red locks dangle naturally just above her shoulder. She sighed.  
Scully was wearing a short, black dress. There were two thin straps and a plunging neckline that stopped right before her belly button. The bottom part of the dress went halfway down her thigh.   
Was this too much skin on the first date?  
She bit her lips nervously. When Mulder was throwing a fit, she posed the idea of a date as a challenge just to see if he would stop. But he accepted. And now she was lost. She had expected him to back down, truthfully.  
Mulder told her nothing afterwards. No details about the date, where they were going, what they would be doing, anything. He just told her to wear something nice.  
The part that baffled her was the “nice”. Did he mean her standard work clothes or date clothes? Surely he wouldn’t drag her out into the middle of the woods on a surprise case? It wouldn’t surprise her, but it would be hard to hide her frustration if that ended up being how she spent her night.  
She nervously played with the straps of her dress, adjusting them to cover up a bit more of her chest. She had been on dates before, of course. But this was Mulder. This was a man who was clearly enamored with her and wanted to impress her, but in typical Mulder-style, he was being vague about crucial details.  
She bit her cheek as she want to slip into a pair of black stilettos. She examined the other one closely before sliding it onto her foot, her painted toes just poking out through the peep-hole at the front. Scully had spent a ridiculous amount on this pair of heels, and she only wore them once to a bureau Christmas party. The only compliments she got were from the other women, of course. Men never seemed to appreciate the aesthetic details of the outfit, just how revealing it was. At least in her experience.   
She stood up and walked back over to the mirror, examining herself again. She leaned in closely to study her face, specifically the makeup she had spent extra time on and an unusual amount of attention to.   
Her lips were a dark, matte red. She inhaled sharply through her nose, puckering her lips a little. A cold feeling kept washing through her body every time she saw her reflection in the mirror.  
Was this too…? She couldn’t think of the word. Inappropriate? It was a date, but she never really dressed up like this, even when she went out with Hank. But this was Fox Mulder. He was special in so many ways; unique as a person and close to her heart. She backed away slowly, her eyes scanning every inch of her frame.   
Mulder would be here any second now. There’s no turning back.   
She sat on the edge of the bed, biting the knuckle of her thumb. She even painted her nails, probably for the first time in years, and she didn’t want to mess it up. The red matched almost perfectly to her lipstick, and complimented the warm hues of her brown eyeshadow.  
Fuck, perfume.   
She immediately stood up, almost tripping over herself as she went to the bathroom, digging through the cabinet until she found the one kind of perfume she owned. She spritzed a bit on each side of her neck, then onto her wrist before rubbing her arms together. Her heart started to race when she glanced at her bedside clock.  
She walked out to the living room and sat on the couch next to where her bag was sitting. She opened it up for what must have been the fifth time in the past three hours just to make sure she had absolutely everything she would need. Only thing missing at this point would be a first aid kit, she thought to herself.   
She reclined into the cushions of the sofa, gazing out the window, watching the street. She tried to calm her breathing, somehow slow her heart rate, do something to show she wasn’t absolutely scared shitless about this date.  
She knew nothing bad would happen to her, not with Mulder around. She was more worried about living up to his expectations. Ever since the incident in the office, she mentally combed through their history and came to the conclusion that this man worshipped the ground she walked on. This man, this man who devoted his entire life to his work, every cell of his being fueled by the next case, still had room for her. And she didn’t understand why. Scully never thought of herself in a self-deprecating way, but she sure as hell never though of herself as especially unique or attractive or anything of that nature. Moreso, she never saw herself as Mulder’s type.  
She sucked on her lips, her heart now pounding as she saw the street illuminate with headlights. Slowly but surely, it was Mulder’s car pulling up by the sidewalk. She got up and immediately shut the curtains. He couldn’t see her until he opened the door, it had to be a surprise.   
She sat back down again, clenching her knees until her knuckles were white. She heard the faint sound of a car door slamming, and her breath began to grow short and rapid. For one of the first times in her life, she felt on the verge of a real panic attack, all because of a simple date. She stared down at her fingers, still wrapped around her knees. Finally, the knock came.  
She couldn’t be too eager. Count to three, she told herself.  
One.  
Tw—  
Fuck it.  
She launched herself off of the couch, rushing to the door, undoing each lock before swinging it open, forcing herself to smile. She was met with the sight of a man who had the face of Mulder, but nothing she had ever seen before.  
She visibly stepped back, taking it all in. Dark brown slacks, matching shoes, and a dark blue button-up with a pinstriped pattern. He, like her, was being somewhat suggestive with his clothing decisions tonight. He had two buttons undone at the top, just barely showing the top of his pectoral muscles. She tore her eyes away from his body before finally making eye contact with him.  
“Scully, when I said dress nice I didn’t mean dress good enough for me to bend down on one knee and propose to you right here and now.” He gave her his token boyish smile, leaning his arm on the doorway. A red hot blush flooded her entire face, and her throat suddenly turned dry.  
“I’m overdressed. I’ll go change, come in just give me a second.” The words flew out of her mouth quickly as she spun to rush back to her bedroom, trying to not show any more outward signs of embarrassment.   
She felt a strong hand grab her elbow and pull her back with a small amount of force. Then the other hand grabbed her and spun her around, and she was facing Mulder again.   
“You’re not overdressed at all. Trust me. And no, I’m not telling you where we’re going yet.” He finished with a smirk and a gleam in his eye.  
She exhaled through her nose sharply, looking up at him, using everything in her power to try and not let her voice break, “Mulder, if you take me anywhere, anywhere, outside of city limits or into the forest I will not hesitate to shoot you a second time.”   
He chuckled at this, placing his hands gently on her biceps, “I promise, I’m not. You can trust me on this one. There will be some wonderful scenery, though,” his eyes did a quick scan over her figure, setting her skin ablaze, “but the view here is nice, too.”  
Despite her outward abashment, she shrugged off his hands as she rolled her eyes, “Jeez, Mulder, really? Couldn’t think of anything better?” She looked up at him, the right side of her mouth curling up into a playful smirk.   
He chuckled in response, gazing into her eyes before speaking, “Have you eaten already? I had more than just dinner planned, but if you’re hungry let’s eat first.”  
Scully sucked on her lips carefully, making a mental note to try and not smudge her lipstick. She shook her head, “I’m not too hungry, I ate before I got dressed. You didn’t specify if food was involved or not, so I took the liberty of feeding myself just in case.” She cocked her head slightly, looking up at him.  
She had just told a bold-faced lie. Scully hadn’t eaten earlier, but this date fired up every nerve in her body to the point where she doubt she could eat without immediately throwing up. Her anxiety was still a mystery to her, and at this point she just wished it would fuck off.  
Mulder nodded his head slowly, grabbing her hand softly, “Well, I guess we have a bit of time to kill before the main event,” he paused, the playful gleam coming back into his eyes, “I have a bottle of wine in the car. Do you have more than one wine glass here?”  
She laughed, tossing her hair back a bit, “I do indeed have more than one wine glass, but I’d rather go somewhere else. I can drink wine at home any day, let’s go out somewhere and share it.”  
Mulder raised his eyebrows at this, his eyes widening as they focused on her, “Dana Scully, are you implying we, two federal agents, break open container laws? I never took you for that kind of woman.”  
She smirked, her voice coming out quietly, “It’s almost sundown. If you still have the bag, we can go to a park and they’ll never know,” she paused, rolling her head to one side as her eyes met his, “Unless you’re scared about getting caught. You’ve broken enough laws and rules in your career, what’s the issue with sharing a bottle of wine in a park?”  
Mulder let go of her hand as she went to grab her purse, slinging the gold chain over her shoulder, digging out her keys.  
“So we go to the park and drink this wine out of a brown paper bag like a couple of teenagers? Should we buy a pack of cigarettes too?” His eyes were glued to her, but he was smiling.  
She walked back over to him and pushed his shoulder, shoving him out of the door.  
“You said dress nice, you didn’t say I had to act nice.” She stated simply, her eyes darting to his before turning around and locking up the door to her apartment.  
She turned around and noticed Mulder’s eyes were focusing on where her ass had been facing him, but they quickly bolted up to meet hers before he turned away, clearing his throat a little. She smiled inwardly at this, trying not to laugh. She knew the dress complimented her curves, but she didn’t expect her partner to be so shameless when it came to ogling her.   
Scully linked her arm around him, nudging his back with her elbow, “Come on, G-Man, let’s get this show on the road,” she looked up at him, raising her eyebrows, “Show me what a good time is, since apparently none of the men I go out with know what that is.”  
He chuckled nervously at this, scratching the back of his head with his free hand, “Well, I didn’t plan on drinking in the park, but I guess it’s a start.”  
He gently placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked outside to his car. Before she could even reach for the door handle, his arm snatched it, opening the door before her. She blinked for a second, standing totally still. Scully looked up at her partner’s face, totally bewildered. When was the last time a man held open a door for her?  
“Th-Thank you.” She whispered quietly, tucking her dress underneath her as she climbed into the passenger’s seat. She stared blankly at the dashboard, suddenly unsure of what to make of her current situation right now.  
She was on a date. She was on a date with her FBI partner, Fox Mulder. She was wearing a combination of the nicest clothes and accessories she owned. He bought wine. He held the door open for her.  
Breathe, Dana, just breathe.  
She looked up as Mulder climbed into the driver’s seat, buckling himself in. She mirrored this, letting out a small breath as the motor started, purring quietly. She was frozen again, her boldness suddenly gone. As soon as she was faced with an actual gentleman, she didn’t know how to act apparently.   
“Scully?”  
She blinked, her mind snapping back to reality, realizing he was driving now.  
“What?” She looked at him, biting her tongue.  
“I asked if you wanted to go to Meridian Hill Park? Since you’re not hungry, I figure we can still get a decent view of the statues and that waterfall.”  
She studied his face, sighing as the realization came to her, “Don’t tell me you made reservations somewhere.” Now she was mentally beating herself up for letting her nervousness ruin Mulder’s plans.  
“Uh, I did. I made reservations at that new rooftop restaurant downtown, but the spot can just go to someone else.” He stated simply, forcing a small smile.  
She groaned at this, burying her face in her hands, “Mulder, this is why you don’t surprise me,” She tossed her head back against the headrest, letting out a heavy breath through her nose.  
“Scully,” Mulder’s voice was calm and steady as he placed a hand on her bare knee, “Don’t worry about it. We can go another time if you want.”  
She turned her head to look at him, smiling softly. His eyes were focused on the road, but his face was genuine. This man really, genuinely enjoyed her. She wiped the sweat of her palm on her dress as discreetly as she could before resting her hand on top of his, interlacing her fingers in between his. They sat in silence for awhile, but it was calm and comforting. It always was between the two of them. She relaxed her shoulders, not realizing how tense they were as he took a turn into a small parking lot. He pulled into a space, shutting the car off.   
Scully gazed out the window, noticing most of the parking spaces were empty, save for one or two other vehicles. She climbed out of the car slowly, holding onto the back of her dress so as to not show anymore skin than what was already there.   
She watched as Mulder opened the backseat door, reaching down onto the floor of the car and grabbing a tall, brown paper bag. She raised her eyebrows with a sly smile.   
“Red or white?” She asked simply, studying his figure. She noticed how tense he was too. She wasn’t alone in this; one doing their best to impress the other.   
He started speaking as he walked over to her, “Well, I prefer the darker stuff, but I’ve always noticed you have a penchant for white wine, so I went with that,” He smiled at her, tucking the bag under his arm quickly, “So, shall we go find a place to discreetly break the law?”  
She giggled at this, grasping onto his free hand, “Well, you mentioned the waterfall, so how about that?”   
He looked down at her and shrugged, pouting his lips, “Lady’s choice.”  
She looked down, trying to hide the blush and wide grin that spread across her face. The hyperawareness had turned into excitement now, and she could just barely feel the humid air on her skin. She let him lead the way, following the concrete path along the small canal.   
“So,” she started, trying to keep her voice level, “When did you realize you had a thing for me?” She looked up at him as he smiled, his face going a bit pink.  
“Honestly? The day you walked into the office. But then you got abducted and I realized how serious those feelings were,” he paused, taking a breath, “And as time went on, I guess those feelings grew, and led me into that fit of jealousy,” he paused, looking down at her, “Again, I’m sorry about that.”  
She squeezed his hand tightly, the corners of her mouth curling up, “I forgive you. If anything, I should view it as a form of flattery. I just didn’t expect you to have such an outburst over another man.”  
Mulder bit his cheek, guiding her by the hand as they reached the waterfall, the orange rays of the setting sun reflecting off of the water. Scully studied the setting and let out a long sigh, letting her eyes flicker up to Mulder for just a moment.  
“What, is there something wrong?” He asked. She could hear the anxiety in his voice.  
She shook her head, fighting back another smile, “I just…can’t really believe this is happening is all. I was so bold with you back in the office, but this entire day I’ve just been…nervous about impressing you. You were right, this is the first real date I’ve been on in awhile, and I guess I forgot how it all goes.” She tucked her skirt under her as she sat down on the cool concrete step, propping her arms behind her and leaning back, letting her feet dangle just above the water.   
Mulder slowly got down next to her, pressing his body into her side, “Now you know how I feel every day you walk into the basement.”  
Scully let out a bark-laugh at this, covering her scrunched up face with her hand, “Mulder, shut up.”  
He leaned back, looking both bewildered and offended, his eyes darting all across her figure, “What, am I not allowed to be honest now?” He smiled sheepishly as he slowly snaked his arm around her waist, and she could feel a slight tremble in his muscles. She leaned into him, relaxing entirely, hoping somehow that he would do the same.  
Scully never realized the effect she had on him. She couldn’t believe she was so ignorant to the obvious signs that showed he loved her. Not just a platonic love either. The realization that this man, Mulder, who she had basically been to hell and back with, loved her. For half a second it was frightening, but as she felt his fingers slowly draw circles on her hips, she discovered a new definition for the meaning of home. He wasn’t familiar, he had become another home for her. He created this space where she could be herself, relax, and enjoy things as they really were.   
Suddenly a loud pop sounded in her ear, making her jump. Mulder had popped the cork to the bottle of wine, pocketing it. He slowly handed the bagged bottle to her as if it were a sacred offering, not saying a word. She gave him a toothy grin before darting her head around to see if anyone else was around. She quickly snatched the bottle and lifted it to her lips, taking in a mouthful before pulling it away as she swallowed, raising her eyebrows at Mulder.  
“Mulder, I’m no expert, but I also know this is considerably better than any Pinot Grigio I’ve ever bought for myself.” She stared him down now as he squirmed against her.  
“Okay, maybe I went a little bit over the top but-“  
She cut him off, “Mulder, if you paid more than fifty dollars on this wine, I’m pushing you into the water. There is no reason for you to have-“  
“Scully, let me treat you right, you deserve it. You’re making me feel bad about trying to just be a gentleman.” Now he cut her off, making her huff. He lifted the bottle to his lips, taking a large gulp into his mouth, puckering his lips as he swallowed.   
She shrugged defeatedly, reaching around to grip his arm slowly, “I’m very independent. You know that. I don’t like it when…” she trailed off, not sure how she wanted to end that sentence.  
“You don’t like it when people show they care, especially if it’s romantic. Trust me, you’re not the only one who’s like that.” He smiled at her before slowly pressing his lips to her forehead.  
She gave him a girlish smile as he pulled away before busting into a loud laughter, “Oh, Oh my fucking god, Mulder!”   
His eyes widened in shock, and his mouth was agape; totally frozen in space. His lips were tinted the exact some red that was on her lips, suddenly realizing she put on a thick layer when she was looking in the mirror earlier. Maybe they should’ve brought glasses after all.   
She reached up and used her thumb to wipe away the residue, leaning in closely to make sure she got all of it off.   
“You have lipstick all over your face.” Her statement was supposed to come with a simple, matter-of-fact tone, but instead it was a husky whisper. He was grinning now, leaning in so now the tips of their noses were touching.  
“Do I at least look good?” He replied with a playful, sly voice.   
She suddenly pulled away, pretending to observe him the same way she observed a cadaver, “No, it’s not really your color if I’m being honest.” She took the bottle and lifted it up to her lips, taking another large drink as she squinted her eyes playfully at him.   
He pouted at this, slumping into her arm. He pulled her closer, and her body went into sensory overload without warning. Suddenly she could smell each component on his cologne, the way the hairs on his arm felt on her skin, the heat coming off of him which made her whole body flush. She was feeling everything all at once, leading her to make the decision to take another drink of the wine.   
This made him chuckle, and he slowly pried the bottle from her hands, “Okay, slow down, I know we’re both nervous but you probably don’t want to be carried to the car if you’re so independent.”  
Scully’s face was flushed now, the wine already hitting her system, “You know,” she started slowly, “I’m actually a hopeless romantic. But considering my professional life requires me to be a ball-buster every waking hour, it’s something I just sort of buried deep down.”  
Mulder nodded, studying her face before looking at the water and letting out a sigh, “Is that some round-about way of saying you’re actually annoying this date, or am I just being conceited?”  
She chuckled, nestling the top of her head into the crook of his neck, “Yes, Mulder, I am very much enjoying this.”   
She rested her hand on top of his, letting her fingertips rub back and forth across his knuckles. Warmth was starting to slowly flow through her body; the wine did seem to go down fairly easily.   
Scully let out a quiet sigh, “This is probably one of the more relaxing things I’ve done lately.”  
Mulder looked at her, cocking his eyebrow, “Isn’t this what you’ve been doing on all your recent dates?”  
Scully shrugged, picking an excess club of nail poling over one of her nails, “It’s different.” She stated simply. She could elaborate, sure, but she didn’t exactly have the words for it. It was Mulder. They had a history together, years of knowing each other. She learned all of his little habits and quirks, things that set him apart from everyone else. He was special, or at least he was special to her. Her nerves had finally begun to settle as she slowly realized her situation. She was on a date with someone who had saved her ass countless times, been there for her through each and every loss. She was with Mulder, the man who had been a constant in her life for years now.   
This date is overdue, she thought to herself.  
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the blurred version of Mulder’s face. He was looking straight at her. She whipped her head around, meeting his eyes.  
“What?” Scully asked, her defenses starting to slowly rise.  
“Nothing, you just got really quiet. Are you sure you’re enjoying this?” Mulder asked, biting his lip.  
She gave him a soft smile, letting her eyes scan his face, “I couldn’t think of a better time,” She let out a small chuckle, leaning into Mulder a bit as the alcohol slowly warmed up her body.  
Mulder held her close, trying to keep her in place. She looked up to see he was smiling, and his face was slowly inching towards hers. She leaned into him more, turning to face him, letting their noses brush each other before finally their lips met. It was soft. Comforting. Something so familiar that had only previously been on her forehead or her hand. And now it was finally on her lips and she couldn’t get enough. She leaned in more, their mouths beginning to part. She could taste the wine on his breath, making her lips curl at the corners.   
And then he pulled away.  
Her face was already burning hot, but she felt so relaxed. She looked up at him shyly before grinning with a small giggle. He squinted his eyes as a large smile painted itself all over his face. It was like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders, and Scully couldn’t stop smiling to save herself. It had been so simple, but it was effective to say the least.   
They sat in silence for awhile, Mulder holding her close as she let her toes barely graze above the water. She could stay here forever. Mulder was a part of her forever. And that didn’t scare her anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I was so surprised to see people wanted another chapter of this! I finally got around to writing it, and I hope you enjoy! I don't want to do this with all of my prompts, but I thought this would be a nice, short follow-up. I do want to make it known I will be taking a very short/month-long hiatus, as I have to focus on school. I will be writing again come earlyish mid-December! If you want more instant updates or just want to read the stupid shit I tweet about, follow me on Twitter @nb_baphomet. Anyways, leave some feedback, and I'll see you beautiful people soon. Before ya know it. Promise. -Kelso

**Author's Note:**

> The name Hank is definitely not a reference to Californication I don't know what you're talking about I don't even watch television. Okay but no this was pretty fun to write, because we all know that Mulder (like many men) are bad at processing and showing their emotions, so characterizing him as this sort of jealous asshole seemed natural. I would've liked to make it longer, but I'm trying to keep my prompts fairly short and to the point. I'm still accepting prompts, just get a hold of me either on my twitter @nb_baphomet or my tumblr (nonbinarybaphomet). Thanks to @onepreciousk for my first prompt! I hope you and everyone else reading this enjoyed it. My next two prompts are going to be pretty smutty, so get ready. As always, feedback is loved, cherished, and appreciated because it helps me grow as a writer! Thanks! -Kelso


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